Gifts and Talents
About 12 minutes, plus hands-on activity and discussion.
Think about it
Every person has been given special gifts and talents from God. These aren’t just presents you can unwrap, they’re the abilities, skills, and strengths that make you who you are. You might be great at helping people, solving problems, making things, or leading others. God gave you these gifts for a reason: so you can serve Him and help others.
Today, the lesson format is different than the previous lessons. We’re going to learn about a man named Joseph. God gave Joseph some amazing gifts, and he used them in many different places, some of them good, and some of them very hard. Through Joseph’s story, we’ll see how God can use our gifts anywhere, anytime, for His good plan.
Let’s Learn
Gifts and talents are both special abilities from God. Some are things we’re born with or can learn over time—like drawing, building, running, or fixing things. We call these talents. Other gifts come from God’s Spirit, helping us do certain things really well—like encouraging people, teaching, or helping others in a big way. We call these spiritual gifts.
Whether it’s a talent we’ve practiced or a gift from the Holy Spirit, all of them come from God, and He gave them to us so we can serve Him and help people.
Part 1: Joseph’s gifts
Joseph was born with some special gifts from God! One of Joseph’s gifts was that he had the ability to understand dreams and explain what they meant. Even when he was young, he told his family about dreams that showed God had a plan for his life. After he told his brothers his dream, his brothers were angry with him because the dream showed Joseph ruling over his brothers. Years later, this dream came true.
Bible Time: “He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it. His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.”
—Genesis 37:6-8
Big Idea: God often gives us gifts early in life. We may not understand them fully at first, but He has a plan for how we will use them.
Part 2: Using Gifts in Hard Places
Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him and sold him to traders who took him to Egypt. There, he became a servant in the home of a man named Potiphar. Joseph worked hard and used his skills to organize and manage the household. Joseph was really good at management! Joseph worked so hard and so well that Potiphar trusted Joseph to be in charge of everything Potiphar owned! All that Potiphar had to worry about was the food that he ate. Great job, Joseph!
Bible Time: “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant… The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.” —Genesis 39:2-6
Big Idea: The gifts God gives us can be used anywhere, even in hard or unexpected situations. When we use our gifts well, people notice and trust us more.
Part 3: Faithful with Talents in Every Situation
Even though Joseph worked hard for Potiphar, he was falsely accused and thrown into prison. But Joseph didn’t give up. In prison, he used his leadership and organization skills to help manage the prisoners, and the warden trusted him with responsibility. Joseph continued to work hard in his life, no matter the situation, and he was blessed through his hard work!
Bible Time: “The LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison.” —Genesis 39:21-22
Big Idea: Our talents are not only to be used when life is easy. Sometimes we need to use our talents for others when life is hard, too.
Part 4: Using Gifts to Help Others
While in prison, Joseph met two of Pharaoh’s servants who had strange dreams. God helped Joseph understand what the dreams meant, and Joseph told them the truth. Later, when Pharaoh had dreams no one could explain, Joseph was brought from prison to help. He explained that Egypt would have seven years of plenty of food followed by seven years of famine, or no food. Since Joseph was able to interpret dreams, Egypt stored up food for 7 years to survive the 7 years of famine. Now let’s read how the Bible describes this amazing story!
Bible Time: “Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
“Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.”
“…God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them.”
—Genesis 41:15-21, 28-30
Big Idea: Our gifts and talents are meant to help others, not just ourselves.
Part 5: God Uses Gifts for Big Purposes
Pharaoh saw Joseph’s wisdom and made him second-in-command over all of Egypt. Joseph used his talents to help Egypt collect food during the seven good years and then to share it during the famine. His careful planning saved many lives, including the lives of his family and those from other lands.
Bible Time: “Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders.’”
—Genesis 41:39-40
Big Idea: When we use our gifts faithfully, God can do big things through us, even things we could never imagine.
Words to Know
A gift or talent is a special ability from God, which can be something you’re born with, something you learn, or something the Holy Spirit helps you do especially well.
Example: God gave Joseph the gift of understanding dreams and the talent to lead and organize people.
Wisdom is knowing what is right and making good choices.
Example: Joseph used wisdom from God to plan ahead during the seven good years so people would have food during the famine.
Let’s Play!
Drag the Words Game
Instructions: Remember the story of Joseph! Drag the pictures into the right order. Start at the top and go across, then down. Click each description to read the full description.
Hands On
Put learning into action! Download the activity and dive into a fun, practical way to explore today’s lesson.
What we Learned
In this lesson, we learned that God gives each of us gifts and talents so we can serve Him and help others. Joseph’s story shows that our gifts can be used anywhere—in good times, hard times, at home, or far away. When we use our gifts faithfully, God can do more through us than we could ever imagine. The gifts you have now might be seem small, but in God’s hands, they can grow into something that blesses many people!
Check Your Understanding
High-Five!
Hit play for your end-of-lesson video!